Will this do the trick at DVinfo.net

Marty Jenoff · January 4th, 2011, 07:27 PM

Here's my problem - I'm submitting a proposal for a gig and they are requiring that the video be shot in 1920x1080/30p at 45 Mbps. They are also requesting 2 cameras.

I'm thinking about getting the Sony NX5 and the AJA Ki Pro or Mini and recording at Pro Res 422 LT. That records at 102 Mbps.

This should do the trick, right?

Jon Thorn · January 5th, 2011, 11:41 AM

Marty J. - It's a little unclear to me whether the people who gave you those specifications are referring to a minimum bit rate that they want to see for their footage or not. If that is the case, yes, using a Ki Pro you would be able to produce quality footage in excess of 45Mbps. We typically recommend the Apple ProRes 422 codec as it produces excellent picture quality at 145Mbps. The Apple ProRes (LT) codec at 100Mbps, while good, is not as indistinguishable from an uncompressed source by comparison.

Ki Pro supports 1080p 23.98, 1080p 24, 1080p 25 and 1080p 29.97 (as well as 1080i 25 and 1080i 29.97). 1080p 30 isn't a specifically support format, but sometimes 1080p 29.97 is simply written "shorthand" as 1080p 30... just to add to the confusion about formats and framerates.

The Sony NEX-5 manual that I consulted on-line doesn't seem to provide any format/framerate information with respect to the HDMI output... so I'm not entirely sure what it outputs from it's HDMI port, sorry. It also isn't entirely clear whether that HDMI output is "clean" (free from on-screen display information, etc.). Or whether you can still view through the camera while the HDMI output is connected, etc., etc. I'd personally be a little wary of using what is essentially a "stills" camera with some video capability for a video production.

You can certainly use a dedicated, cost-effective camcorder with Ki Pro. In fact, I've been pretty astonished at the quality of video produced by the affordable Canon cameras, like the Canon HV40, when coupled with the Ki Pro. So you might consider these in your research.

In any event, I would carefully check the specs of the camera to be used alongside the Ki Pro to be sure that it output an acceptable signal for recording... and I'm not sure that this is the case for the Sony NEX-5 camera you are suggesting.

Hope this is somewhat helpful information,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Marty Jenoff · January 5th, 2011, 01:23 PM

Hi Jon, thanks for the reply.

I'm actually talking about the Sony HXR-NX5U not the NEX5.

The client specifically wrote - "1920 pixels by 1080 pixels resolution progressive project 30 frames per second at 45 MB per second." Reading it again, it's not saying whether the camera or the project settings should match that format.

The NX5 does have both HDMI and HD-SDI outs.

I'm also considering using the Ki Pro in a TV station helicopter that's equipped with an 1080i/59.94 HD camera but oddly enough has no way to record HD, just transmit. The chopper has an HD-SDI out and 12v XLR for power, so the Ki Pro seems like a good fit there.

Since I have your attention, I have 2 more questions.
- When attached to the camera, is the only way to get the Ki Pro into record to manual hit record, or does it get the record command somehow from the camera? I read about the lens tap cable but it doesn't look like it's out yet.
- Does the Ki Pro have an internal battery?

Thanks again for your help!

Jon Thorn · January 5th, 2011, 03:06 PM

Marty J. - Sorry I misread your previous post regarding the camera. The Sony NEX-5 and the Sony NX5U... product names separated by one letter and one hyphen... but quite different! Sorry!

Now that we are talking about the same camera... I don't see 1080p listed as an output format for the baseband video connections on the Sony NX5U within the product's manual. Refer to pg. 56 and pg. 77 of the manual:
http://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/f...Ops_Manual.pdf

I see 720p, 1080i, 480i and 480p listed, but not 1080p... The SDI output would appear to output 1080i if the format internal to the camera is a 1080 format.

To answer your other questions...

With cameras that have a timecode output (via LTC or embedded in SDI as with RP188), that timecode can be used for the starting and stopping of Ki Pro recordings. To make this possible, the Ki Pro is configured to use the timecode value from the camera and the Ki Pro is set to arm recording via incrementing timecode through a menu parameter. This arm recording via timecode relies on incrementing timecode (as produced by record run timecode) and allows you to use the camera to trigger recordings on the camera as well as the Ki Pro without the need to depress the record button on the Ki Pro separately. The Sony NX5U does seem to have SDI embedded timecode with RP188 as it is listed on pg. 78 of the manual. (I would verify this though as I'm going by the manual since we don't have this particular camera in house.)

The Ki Pro requires the use of an external battery or the AC power adapter; it does not have an internal battery for powering the unit.

Hope this is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Marty Jenoff · January 5th, 2011, 03:29 PM

So the specs on the camera say it can do -AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080/30p
AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920x1080/30p (Sony Product Detail Page HXRNX5U)

And the manual says "When 24p or 30p of frame rate is selected in REC FORMAT , progressive signals are converted to interlace signals by the pull down system to be output"

So I assume that means it records on the SDHC cards and hard drive in 1080/30p but it exports to the SDI and HDMI 1080i?

And if that's so I don't see that the Ki pro can cross convert from 1080i to 1080p?

Thanks for your other two answers and your patience and help.

Marty

Jon Thorn · January 5th, 2011, 04:27 PM

Marty J. - It appears that while the Sony NX5U records 1080p internally, it only outputs 1080i. The Ki Pro does not have a de-interlacer, so we cannot take an incoming signal that is 1080i interlaced and produce a 1080p progressive signal.

If you need a camera with true progressive output, this might not be the right choice.

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

January 4th, 2011, 07:27 PM	#1
Marty Jenoff Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 102	Will this do the trick Here's my problem - I'm submitting a proposal for a gig and they are requiring that the video be shot in 1920x1080/30p at 45 Mbps. They are also requesting 2 cameras. I'm thinking about getting the Sony NX5 and the AJA Ki Pro or Mini and recording at Pro Res 422 LT. That records at 102 Mbps. This should do the trick, right? __________________ Marty Jenoff www.focalpp.com

January 5th, 2011, 01:23 PM	#3
Marty Jenoff Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 102	NX5 not NEX 5 Hi Jon, thanks for the reply. I'm actually talking about the Sony HXR-NX5U not the NEX5. The client specifically wrote - "1920 pixels by 1080 pixels resolution progressive project 30 frames per second at 45 MB per second." Reading it again, it's not saying whether the camera or the project settings should match that format. The NX5 does have both HDMI and HD-SDI outs. I'm also considering using the Ki Pro in a TV station helicopter that's equipped with an 1080i/59.94 HD camera but oddly enough has no way to record HD, just transmit. The chopper has an HD-SDI out and 12v XLR for power, so the Ki Pro seems like a good fit there. Since I have your attention, I have 2 more questions. - When attached to the camera, is the only way to get the Ki Pro into record to manual hit record, or does it get the record command somehow from the camera? I read about the lens tap cable but it doesn't look like it's out yet. - Does the Ki Pro have an internal battery? Thanks again for your help! __________________ Marty Jenoff www.focalpp.com

January 5th, 2011, 03:29 PM	#5
Marty Jenoff Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 102	so confusing So the specs on the camera say it can do -AVCHD FX (24Mbps) 1920x1080/30p AVCHD FH (17Mbps) 1920x1080/30p (Sony Product Detail Page HXRNX5U) And the manual says "When 24p or 30p of frame rate is selected in REC FORMAT , progressive signals are converted to interlace signals by the pull down system to be output" So I assume that means it records on the SDHC cards and hard drive in 1080/30p but it exports to the SDI and HDMI 1080i? And if that's so I don't see that the Ki pro can cross convert from 1080i to 1080p? Thanks for your other two answers and your patience and help. Marty __________________ Marty Jenoff www.focalpp.com

January 5th, 2011, 11:41 AM	#2
Jon Thorn AJA Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Grass Valley, CA Posts: 252	Marty J. - It's a little unclear to me whether the people who gave you those specifications are referring to a minimum bit rate that they want to see for their footage or not. If that is the case, yes, using a Ki Pro you would be able to produce quality footage in excess of 45Mbps. We typically recommend the Apple ProRes 422 codec as it produces excellent picture quality at 145Mbps. The Apple ProRes (LT) codec at 100Mbps, while good, is not as indistinguishable from an uncompressed source by comparison. Ki Pro supports 1080p 23.98, 1080p 24, 1080p 25 and 1080p 29.97 (as well as 1080i 25 and 1080i 29.97). 1080p 30 isn't a specifically support format, but sometimes 1080p 29.97 is simply written "shorthand" as 1080p 30... just to add to the confusion about formats and framerates. The Sony NEX-5 manual that I consulted on-line doesn't seem to provide any format/framerate information with respect to the HDMI output... so I'm not entirely sure what it outputs from it's HDMI port, sorry. It also isn't entirely clear whether that HDMI output is "clean" (free from on-screen display information, etc.). Or whether you can still view through the camera while the HDMI output is connected, etc., etc. I'd personally be a little wary of using what is essentially a "stills" camera with some video capability for a video production. You can certainly use a dedicated, cost-effective camcorder with Ki Pro. In fact, I've been pretty astonished at the quality of video produced by the affordable Canon cameras, like the Canon HV40, when coupled with the Ki Pro. So you might consider these in your research. In any event, I would carefully check the specs of the camera to be used alongside the Ki Pro to be sure that it output an acceptable signal for recording... and I'm not sure that this is the case for the Sony NEX-5 camera you are suggesting. Hope this is somewhat helpful information, Jon Thorn Product Manager AJA Video Systems, Inc.

January 5th, 2011, 03:06 PM	#4
Jon Thorn AJA Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Grass Valley, CA Posts: 252	Marty J. - Sorry I misread your previous post regarding the camera. The Sony NEX-5 and the Sony NX5U... product names separated by one letter and one hyphen... but quite different! Sorry! Now that we are talking about the same camera... I don't see 1080p listed as an output format for the baseband video connections on the Sony NX5U within the product's manual. Refer to pg. 56 and pg. 77 of the manual: http://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/f...Ops_Manual.pdf I see 720p, 1080i, 480i and 480p listed, but not 1080p... The SDI output would appear to output 1080i if the format internal to the camera is a 1080 format. To answer your other questions... With cameras that have a timecode output (via LTC or embedded in SDI as with RP188), that timecode can be used for the starting and stopping of Ki Pro recordings. To make this possible, the Ki Pro is configured to use the timecode value from the camera and the Ki Pro is set to arm recording via incrementing timecode through a menu parameter. This arm recording via timecode relies on incrementing timecode (as produced by record run timecode) and allows you to use the camera to trigger recordings on the camera as well as the Ki Pro without the need to depress the record button on the Ki Pro separately. The Sony NX5U does seem to have SDI embedded timecode with RP188 as it is listed on pg. 78 of the manual. (I would verify this though as I'm going by the manual since we don't have this particular camera in house.) The Ki Pro requires the use of an external battery or the AC power adapter; it does not have an internal battery for powering the unit. Hope this is helpful, Jon Thorn Product Manager AJA Video Systems, Inc.

January 5th, 2011, 04:27 PM	#6
Jon Thorn AJA Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Grass Valley, CA Posts: 252	Marty J. - It appears that while the Sony NX5U records 1080p internally, it only outputs 1080i. The Ki Pro does not have a de-interlacer, so we cannot take an incoming signal that is 1080i interlaced and produce a 1080p progressive signal. If you need a camera with true progressive output, this might not be the right choice. Regards, Jon Thorn Product Manager AJA Video Systems, Inc.